The 76th Hunger Games
by ThePotterNerd
Summary: Based on the group Kayla's Hunger Games on the website Shelfari.
1. Chapter 1 The Reaping

**_Chapter 1:The Reaping_**

I put my hair into a rough braid. I didn't really care about my appearance today. Looks won't keep me out of the Games. I grab my bag, containing only a few items, and rush out of my house to the ocean, where I meet my best friend, Kurt Odair. His older brother, Finnick, had been in the games. Years ago. He knew the consequences. "Hey," he playfully says. I smile at him. "Hey." Only he could make me feel better today. "Today's Reaping Day," I say, stating the obvious. He remains silent. After a few moments, I break the awkwardness. "You'll never get picked," I whisper to him. "Not after Finnick won." I don't succeed in lifting his spirits that much, but he just murmurs, "Neither will you."

We both know that can't be guaranteed. As the clock strikes 11, I say goodbye to Kurt and proceed to my house. The dress I picked out is still laying on my bed. Settle, ocean blue, with an emerald ribbon belt tied in a bow. Simple, yet gorgeous. I re-do my braid and put on my shoes. My father has woken up. "You look beautiful, sweetheart." I smile. "Thanks, dad," I say, "We better head to the square.

The town square directly overlooks the ocean, set up with two giant screens and decorations galore for the occasion. And then, not a minute past noon, the capitol lady, Aritla Loitus, walks up to the podium and taps on the microphone. "Happy Hunger Games!" She squeals, "And may the odds be EVER in your favor!" I roll my eyes at her cheesy accent. "Let's start with the gentlemen!" In District 4, the boys are always chosen first. I don't recognize the boy who is chosen. Around my age, I'd say. But my heart pounds when she says, "Now for the ladies!" And as if in slow motion, her hand reaches into the ball. "You won't get picked, you won't get picked," I whisper to myself. She pulls the paper out, the same generic smile still on her face.

**"Samantha Criss!"**

I'm on the verge of collapse. I see Kurt barely, looking at me. He looks too stunned for words. I give him one look of absolute fear and the Peacekeepers lay hands on me. "Let-me-go!" I choke out. They obey and I walk hastily in front of them. I stand on the stage, blurry faces looking up at me.

**Let the 76th Annual Hunger Games begin.**


	2. Chapter 2 The Train

**Chapter 2: The Train**

The train is sleek and shiny, like most capitol things. However, I am not impressed. Three tributes were chosen from four this year due to problems in twelve. They picked a district out of a ball and guess what, four was chosen. 

The boy is Cranberry Dove Waterington, a boy one year younger than me with strawberry-blonde hair and pale skin. He was in the Waterington family, notorious for producing a tribute every year. I didn't know how many kids there were in the family, I never would ask. The other girl was Sori Maji, who I knew no more than maybe a hello while shopping in the town square. The other tributes were total strangers to me and they were from my district.

I sit down at the table and bury my head in my hands, trying to block out things around me. I had just seen my home for the last time. I knew I was not going to come out. There were 24 tributes. The odds were not in my favor. I look at Cranberry, feeling a bit sorry for him. "Hello," I say politely. "I'm Samantha." He mutters something like a 'hello' and I understand he is not in the mood to talk.I don't blame him. Some people shut out the world in distress, and some tried to find distractions in it. I was the latter. I smile at the girl shyly, but nothing else. I go to my room and lie down.

I must fall asleep sometime during the period, because I wake and it is time for dinner. Another delicious meal. From the Capitol. I am too upset to eat, boredly picking at my food until we are dismissed. I go back to bed without another word.


	3. Chapter 3 The Training Center

_**Chapter 3: The Training Center**_

"Wake up! We have an exciting day dawning!" Aritla Lotius, the capitol attendant for four, pipes, waking me from my restless sleep. "W-wha?" I mutter sleepily. I get up and dressed in the outfit picked out for me. Today we started training. It may be a blessing, it may be a curse. I could meet allies. I could make enemies.

The elevator goes down to the large room with many stations. I see the other tributes, all in matching outfits with the district number on the shoulder. I automatically know where I need to go. Hand to Hand Combat. I was strong, but I could not fight well. I beat up a dummy pretty well, then the instructor tells me to fight another tribute. "What?!" I exclaim. "That's absurd!" But I don't question her. We look at each other, as if to say, "Sorry about this," and then we fight. She pins me down, I pin her down, and finally I give up. "I never wanted to fight you," I whisper then leave the station.

Then I decide to do some things I were good at. I shoot some arrows in archery and make the instructor at that station hate me. I do a bunch of laps in the pool, then decide to go to Plant Identification. I see Cranberry and some others at the station, including the one I fought in Hand to Hand. Great, I think. "Hi. Ooh look, berries!" I squeal, and pretend to eat nightlock berries. I was much smarter than to do that. Cranberry rolls his eyes. "You'll get yourself killed."

I just look at him nonchalantly. "I've established that." Awkward silence follows so I break the ice. "Cran, where do you live in 4?" Apparently he lives on the edge, probably why I never see him. I remember his house though. I had passed by it on a fishing trip once.

We talk about how much we all hate the Capitol. I look into Cran's beautiful eyes. No, Samantha, I scold myself in my head. You cannot fall in love. Not in the Games. He looks at the book and groans. "Too much to learn," he whines. I had spent enough time in the woods illegally with Kurt to know most of the plants. "I'll cover your stupidity," I say with a chuckle.

The conversation turns to our mothers. Mine had died of something called 'leukemia' when I was young. Marlett, the 12 year old girl from eleven's mother was dying. Cran's mother was insane. Our weakness was our mothers.

I pick up some berries and know they aren't poisonous. I pop some in my mouth and realize my mistake. They're loopy berries, and you act, well... loopy. "I'M PREGNANT!" I yell. "With a baby!" This startles Cran and he looks at me annoyedly. "You're an idiot." I know that, Cran. Unfortunately, I couldn't control my words, so instead I scream "RAPIST! RAPIST IN MY BEDROOM! AH!" He covers my mouth. "Some people take that seriously!" He hisses. The berries wear off. "I realize that," I laugh, "rapist." He laughs too. "Me? A rapist? Get in the van, little girl." We both crack up. "No! you have no candy!"

I change the subject. "So, this plant is Thyme," I say, focusing on the herb. He looks at me, not hiding his annoyance. "Why did you change the subject?" He says angrily. I didn't want to tell him the real reason was I didn't want to get more attached to someone I would be in a death tournament with. "I just wanted to learn some more, sorry." My voice is steady but sad. "Would you rather not talk about learning? Okay. Eat some berries!" I throw a handful of berries at him before I figure out that they are strawberries. His sister was Strawberry. Shit. "Oh shit, I'm sorry..." my voice fades. "I'm going to slap you," He murmurs. I just look at him. "I kind of deserve it," I say.

"You're not worth it," he replies. That comment confuses me. "What's that supposed to mean?" I ask. "You're just a stupid little girl," He says lowly. I'm not offended by his comment. "Exactly. That's why I'll die and you'll live," I whisper. He puts his hands on his hips. "Willing to die for me. Why is that?" I don't look up from the plants. "I'm just accepting the facts."

Then an impulse rushes over me. I run up to Cran and kiss his soft lips. I back away and whisper, "Why the hell did I just do that.." I look away shyly. He crosses his arms. "Sure you are."

Sori comes up to the station and the problems start. I can see the romance between her and Cran. I loved him too. This wouldn't end well. He looks at her so wishfully. I just concentrate on crushing berries, trying to drown it out. But he figures out I'm upset. He pulls me away from the others. "What is it?" he asks quietly. I just shake my head. "It's nothing. I'll sound stupid." But he guesses what I'm distressed about. "Samantha, you know we're not a thing, right? We flirt and..." He stops. "Um, I'm sorry." But I ignore the last part. "I realize that. That's exactly why it's stupid. I'm also thinking about how I'll never see my family again. I say I'm ready to face death but," My voice cracks, "I'm really not." He caresses my hair. "No one is." My expression hardens and I look straight at him. "Just remember me, Cran. Take care of my father. He has no one."  
I was tired of being the strong one. The one ready to die for him. I loved him. My mask was fading slowly, revealing a girl who's falling apart.  
The rest of the training time is normal. We learn about plants, and a few more people come along. But I was in a bad situation. I was going into the Arena. In love.


	4. Chapter 4 The Interviews

"Welcome Samantha Criss from District 4 to the stage!"

I swallow. I had always struggled with stage fright, and all of Panem was about to watch me talk about a tournament in which I would probably get killed. I look down at my deep blue strapless gown, the exact color of the sea at sunset. A rhinestone belt pulls the outfit together and I shyly glance at my silver flats. Starfish earrings frame my face and I force myself onto the stage. I smile dazzlingly at the crowd.

Caesar Flickerman eagerly awaits me, his midnight blue hair standing out. "Oh, look at you! You are simply gor-geous!" he says with that feminine touch I found peculiar. The people cheer in agreement and I can't help but feel beautiful. I blush and manage to say, "Thank you Caesar." Be likeable, I say to myself. Likeable but a fighter. You need to win this.

"You're so very welcome, Samantha!" He says with a grin. "Of course," I say with pretend delight. Caesar doesn't detect the fakeness and starts with the questions. "How old are you, Samantha?" I fiddle with my braid. "I am sixteen," I reply. "Ah, sixteen, the year of wonders," Caesar says nostalgically. "Do you have any hobbies?" I think about the cool ocean behind my home. I soar through the water, Kurt slightly behind me. And I feel unstoppable. But then I remember that I'm not there.

"I like to swim, of course. And I hunt and fish whenever I can. I make nets." I smile, realizing how easy this is. Just

answer the questions with a smile. Caesar returns the gesture, not breaking his grin. "You remind me of a girl version of Finnick Odair," he pauses, "Have you heard of him? What a silly question. Of course you have." This makes me grin for real. "Finnick is an amazing guy. His younger brother Kurt and I were best friends before I was reaped. My dad and I had a lot of fun with the Odairs. But I won't go into that." I giggle. The memories made me happy and provided a little bit of light in this dark situation.

The next thing Caesar says makes my stomach flutter.

"So... you and Kurt were just friends?" He asks, leaning forward in his seat. My answer comes two seconds after he finishes. "Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes," I repeat. "Of course, just friends. We fished together and then became best friends instantly." We also hunted illegally in the woods together, I add silently in my head. But Caesar is not convinced. "That's so cute!" He squeals. "I'm so surprised he never asked out such a gorgeous girl like you!"

My heart sinks when I remember Cran. I liked him a lot. I twirl a piece of hair, thinking deeply, because no one had ever called me beautiful before. "Thank you," I whisper. But then my fake act continues. "Well, if he ever wanted to be more, I can't say I would refuse..." I say with a giggle.

"I'll stop with your personal life, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable." Thank the Lord, I think. "So, do you have any strategies in the Games?"  
That's when I forget to be likeable.

I should say just to do as well as I can. But I wasn't going to. "Well Caesar," I begin, "Excellent question." My voice drops any touch of happiness. "I'm probably going to die. So I'm going to focus on my allies." I begin to choke up. "Cranberry Dove Waterington, for example. He has many siblings." I choke up more and my voice rises with everything I say. "Every year, one is picked in the reaping. And none have survived. Why do they deserve it?" I'm practically yelling. "Why do I deserve to live instead of him?! I've made enemies in the Capitol and I know it. They want my head on a plate. I'm doomed." A certain intense calmness settles in me. "I know that this is a bit different than who I acted like before, but these people," I gesture to the people in the crowd, "and the rest of Panem need to know who I really am."

Caesar quiets down and his act seems to stop also. "Well, I like who you really are," he says quietly. Then he leans away from the microphone and comes close to me. "I'm not a fan of the prissy girls who come for the interviews. That's not who they really are and it's obvious." I just nod at his comment. I had to say one more thing. I rise from my chair and stand up straight. "So, all of the other tributes, come at me. But be prepared to face me. You can have me, but me only."

Caesar looks at me, a look of pride in his face. "That's a strong phrase, I like it!" He shouts. "Anything else you would like to say to your district?" A stray tear goes down my face. "I want them to know how much I will miss my friends and family." Cran will be an excellent victor, I add in my head. "And also-" I stand stronger than ever. "Remember me, and what I died for."

"We will, just for you, Samantha. We all will." But I don't smile. I don't even look at the crowd. I stare in the distance. Caesar locks his hand into mine and raises our arms, but I just keep the firey look in my eyes. I am unforgiving. No matter how much anyone in the Capitol, right now the audience was mine.

"Thank you for coming tonight, and the next time we see you you'll be fighting in the arena! Kick some butt!"


End file.
